December 23, 2011

Open Letter to Year 2011 Contributors

Dear Contributor,

It has been a number of years since an Open Letter of thanks was written to the handful of faithful and regular supporters of this work, supporters who have endured hardships and financial trials, a severe downturn of the American economy, the ravages of weather and the passage of time. Thank you. A double thanks to each of you. Your support was received at critical periods, and your support has permitted an ever increasing number of readers to have access to the revelations that continue to come via realization; for Jesus said, “‘For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance’” (Matt 13:12), with the more being knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of the heavens.

The Second Passover liberation of Israel is a year nearer than it was a year ago. We, Carolyn and I, are a year older and a little less able to continue providing the majority of the support for this work through the labor of our hands; thus, the support of contributors has been more important this year than in previous years … the following is from the “Open Letter to Year 2004 Contributors”: “A year ago December, Google's Florida dance adversely affected us. Whereas we had been listed on the first page of dozens of search terms, with dozens of people a day downloading files, the changed criteria by which the search giant Google ranked sites dropped us almost out of sight. We tinkered with the sites to try to improve rankings, but it wasn't until certain of you contributors sent donations that downloaded files began to creep back up. It seemed that for each person who sent assistance, an additional ten people a day downloaded articles. So we could visually see the effect of your participation in delivering the endtime gospel of all who endure to the end shall be saved.” And that relationship between contributors and readers still stands: as the number of contributors has remained somewhat steady over the past four or five years, so has the number of new readers.

My reward for the work that I do came with the calling to Reread Prophecy: there will be neither greater reward nor lesser reward if others read my scribblings and turn to God, repenting bitterly, or if others ignore what I write. My reward is based on whether I am faithful to do the task to which I was called, and to that end, I have spent the hours of a workman in pushing knowledge forward so that all can grow in grace and knowledge of God.

When my reward is not based on numbers but on faithfulness, then it should come as no surprise that the person “‘who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward’” (Matt 10:41), for it takes faith to receive anyone as a prophet in this endtime era. It takes faith to support a work that, though worldwide, is minuscule in numbers when it comes to either supporters or believers—a work that is heard but that is seemingly invisible within greater Christendom.

The person who has received me through supporting the work that I do shall receive the reward that I receive, a reality that spurs me to do as much as I can physically do … the words of the Father became the works of the Father when Jesus delivered the Father’s words to the first disciples. Jesus’ words became the works of Jesus when the first disciples inscribed [committed to writing] Jesus’ spoken words. And the words of the first disciples, especially of John, become the works of the first disciples when endtime disciples explicate their words in written commentary, with the Internet returning the ephemeral quality of spoken words back to the words of Jesus.

Within most craftsmen, most artisans is a desire for permanency; a desire for the works of the craftsman’s hands to transcend time. Inscribed words have a degree of permanency in this world whereas the spoken word lacks physical permanency. A word written in stone hangs around for millennia whereas an uttered word dissipates into thin air within moments. Hence, Jesus had to trust His first disciples to faithfully attach permanency to His words so that when the end of the age came upon His disciples His words would be with them so that He could deliver His intended meanings to the words He had left in this world as the judge of unbelieving disciples.

For the decades that I have produced wood and metal work I have felt that urge to produce permanency, knowing though that wood seldom lasts more than 300 years and that literary writing is seldom remembered a millennia later—and the tension between seeking permanency and knowing that it cannot be physically obtained manifests itself in wanting to publish as a book a manuscript such as A Philadelphia Apologetic —2012, and e-publishing the manuscript, knowing in advance that the manuscript can be erased in an electron shower that is likely to occur in the near future.

Introduction of permanency links to the subject of storing up treasure in heaven, not here on earth where it will be lost: the contributor who has received me will receive the reward I receive, with this reward not being here on earth or in the production of a text posted to the Internet where it exists in an ephemeral state. In one way, the reward for the work I do is the knowledge that comes with the work, but that isn’t really the reward. That cannot be likened to being a pillar in the temple of God, someone who stands on the foundation Paul laid and reaches up to support the endtime harvest of God. And that is what’s at stake, the permanency of being a structural part of the house of God. You, as a contributor, will receive a reward that has the permanency of the house of God; for your faith in receiving me is greater than my faith in having been called to do this job—I know I was called: I don’t have to come to this conclusion. It is you, as a contributor, who by faith has come to this conclusion.

Again, thank you for the support.

Respectfully,

Homer & Carolyn